Difference between Public and Private Colleges

Difference Between Private and Public Colleges

Public and private colleges are two types of institutions that may be of interest to a student when applying to colleges. 

The main difference between public and private colleges is their source of funding. Both colleges obtain funding from students’ tuition payments. However, public colleges usually also are funded by state governments. Private colleges are not funded by state governments, but by their own private endowments or sometimes by private donors.

Another difference is the cost of attendance. Because public colleges are funded by the government, they are usually cheaper than private colleges that don’t receive that degree of funding. Private colleges therefore rely more on student tuition payments to cover costs associated with maintaining the college than do public colleges. However, despite the varying costs of attendance, private colleges tend to offer more financial aid and scholarships, or even full ride offers, to students than do public colleges. This can make private colleges a financially better option than public colleges for some students in certain circumstances.

Because of state funding, public colleges generally offer ample research opportunities and labs to students than do private colleges. In addition, public colleges tend to have student service resources and can be more focused on their students’ graduations and career success. However, there definitely are private colleges, especially very prestigious ones, that do have world class labs and research with established faculty, with prevalent student services as well.

An advantage of private colleges is that they have a smaller faculty to student ratio, which allows professors to dedicate more time to individual students, and there are smaller class sizes which can better attest to certain students’ learning needs. It can potentially be easier for students to form more direct relationships with their professors which can benefit students’ abilities to get guidance and assistance. That can be a bit more difficult at public colleges which often have large class sizes and more competition. However, because public colleges are typically larger than private colleges, they tend to have more clubs, campus activities, and opportunities for students to get involved. This social life can be more difficult to attain at private colleges.

These are just some of the key differences between public and private colleges. These points are very generic though, and situations can vary between different colleges. It is important to do research on individual public and/or private colleges and consider personal important factors to find the perfect fit college.